Filling feeler for looms



Feb. 20, 1934. E, c MITH 1,947,624

FILLING FEELER FOR LOOMS Filed July 16, 1931 5/ MW! 2 WW Y F 17 X 7 B Tg D 2 A *JQ I Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILLINGFEELER FOR LOOMS Application July 16, 1931. Serial No. 551,172

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in filling feelers for looms of theside slip type so called; and the objects of my invention are, first toprovide a filling feeler of the side slip type adapted I .for use withan electric stop motion to be introduced into the electrical stop motioncircuit as a part thereof and to operate to close said circuit; and toprovide means for regulating the elastic reaction of the side slipmovement of the feeler finger without varying the recoil resistance topressure of the filling on the filling bobbin against the feeler fingerdue to movement of the loom lay in beating up the pick.

I attain these objects by means illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which:

Fig. 1 shows, in plan view. my feeler with cover removed in conjunctionwith an unexhausted filling bobbin;

Fig. 2 shows, in plan view, my feeler with cover removed, and withfeeler finger side slipped on an exhausted filling bobbin;

Fig. 3 shows a part sectional elevation in enlarged scale and on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 1); and

Fig. 4 shows an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 0,Fig. l.

The body 2, preferably of metal and made with the slot 3 for securingthe feeler to the loom or to brackets attached to the loom, is made witha channel or cavity 40 and guide-ways 4-4 in opposite sides of saidchannel and near its top. In these guide-ways is mounted a slide 5.Surmounting the slide 5 is a bearing plate 6 whose upper surface 7 isslightly above the top surface 8 of the body 2. A stud 9 fastens theslide 5 and bearing plate 6 together by its shank 10 which is preferablyriveted to the slide 5. The stud 9 also holds in place the side slipfeeler finger 11 which is free to swing on the body portion 12 of saidstud, and between the top surface 7 of the hearing plate and the fiangeor annular shoulder 13 of the stud. An upturned stop 14 on the slide 5and in the path of movement of the heel 22 of the finger l1, limits themovement of the feeler finger in the direction of the arrow d. The arrowd indicates the direction of reaction of the spring 15, encompassing theupper body 16 of the stud 9 and engaging the upturned projection of theheel 22 of the finger 11. The spring is preferably of helical form andone end 1'7 of its wire extends parallel with the springs axis andengages the spring adjuster 18 secured to the top of the stud 9 by thescrew 19'which enters a threaded hole in the top of the stud. The springadjuster 18 which is of substantially disk form with a depressed ordished center to adapt it to fit over the top of the stud 9 isperforated with a series of index holes 37 any one of which can be madeto register with the lock pin 20 in the top of the stud. By looseningthe screw 19, the cap 18 can be disengaged from the lock pin and turnedto adjust the tension of the spring 15 and then replaced in engagementwith said lock pin and secured by the screw 19 to hold the springadjuster 18 to its lock pin and secure it to said stud 5 to hold thedesired tension adjustment.

In the channel 40 within the feeler body 2 is a recoil spring 23 whichis mounted on a pin 24. The pin is preferably a screw with a longstraight body, a head 25 and a threaded extremity 26. The pin passesfreely through a down turned lug or ear 2'? of the slide 5, and isthreaded into an anchor plate 28 and secured by a check nut 29. Theanchor plate 28 is mounted transversely of the channel 40, obstructingthe guideways 4-4 and acting to limit the movement of the slide 5 andprevent it from protruding beyond the case 2. The recoil spring 23 holdsthe slide 5 against the head 25 of the pin 24 and thus maintains thefeeler finger 11 projected toward the filling bobbin 31. The feelerfinger 11 is thus projected away from the end of the slide 5 carryingthe lug 27 and outwardly from the case 2 toward the shuttle box. Theslide 5 and the finger 11 thereon are thus normally in position for thefinger to be encountered by the filling bobbin as the lay approaches theend of its forward movement toward the fell of the cloth. At theextremity of the finger is a tip of suitable material, usually some formof fiber. This tip 36 meets the filling bobbin with an edge of irregularcontour, usually serrated. This irregularity or roughening is embeddedin the surface of the yarn of an unexhausted bobbin and prevents thefinger from side slipping when the bobbin and finger come together. Whenthe filling has been exhausted and the tip encounters the smooth surfaceof the empty bobbin, it slides freely on that surface, the finger 11being at such angle with the axis of the bobbin as to cause the fingerto yield and side slip, see Fig. 2. The finger 11 in side slip- 11. and.to the spring end 39 which engages said projection.

It is common knowledge that the usual electric stop motion circuit hasone side of said circuit grounded in the loom frame or machine frame sothat said frame with attached metallic parts is a part of the circuitthus constituting one open terminal. The other side of the circuit, inthis instance, is connected with the terminal by a circuit wire 35, sothat when the feeler acts as described, by side slipping of the finger11, the circuit is closed causing action of the stop motion. It is to beunderstood thatall parts of my invention are of metal orelectro-conductive material except as otherwise specified.

A cover 38 combines with the body 2 to form a case, enclosing the springcontact 34 and all other working parts except the finger 11 and its tip36. Wherever there is reference in the claims to parts or combinationsof parts being enclosed in the case, it is to be understood thatreference is to the combined body and cover.

By the foregoing described invention I secure a feeler of compactconstruction, effective action and sensitive response to varying yarnconditions and embodying within the feeler electrical contacts wherebythe feeler is adapted to use with stop motion circuits and with the opencontacts and moving parts protected from dirt and damage.

Without limiting rnyselr" to the precise construction shown anddescribed, I claim:

1. In a side slip feeler-device for looms, the combination of a sideslip finger, a slide having a stop, a case within which said slide movesand from which said finger projects, a spring within the case for movingthe slide to project said finger as aforesaid, a stud secured to theslide on which the finger swings, which stud has a flange spaced fromthe slide and a body portion above said flange, the finger being mountedbetween the slide and the flange, a helical spring mounted on said bodyportion or" the stud and engaging said finger, a substantiallydislnshaped spring adjuster surmounting the stud and engaging the springto force the finger against the stop on the slide, and means to securesaid spring adjuster to said stud.

2. In a finger unit for a side slip feeler-device, the combination witha side slip finger and slide to carry the finger, of a stud secured tothe slide and permanently securing the finger to the slide, said studbeing provided with a flange to hold said finger and with a body risingabove said flange, a substantially disk-shaped adjuster having arecessedcenter portion fitting the top of said stud, a spring disposedabout the body of the stud and engaging both finger and adjuster, meansto lock the adjuster in whatever position it may be turned to vary thetension of the spring, and means to secure said adjuster in lockedposition.

3. In a finger unit for a side slip feeler-device, the combination of aslide, a stud secured to the slide and having a fixed flange spaced fromthe slide and a body portion rising above said flange,

a side slip finger permanently secured to the slide by said stud andmovable between the slide and the flange, a spring coiled about the bodyof the stud with one end engaging the finger, an index pin in the top ofthe stud extending parallel with its axis, a spring adjuster having arecessed center which fits over the top of the stud, said adjuster beingformed with a series of index holes to engage the pin and determine theadjustment of the spring, and means to secure said adjuster to I the topof said stud to hold it in indexed adjustment.

4. In a finger unit for a side slip feeler-device, the combination of aslide having a stop, a bearing plate, a stud secured to both slide and.bearing plate, said stud having a flange spaced from said bearing plateand a body above said flange, a side slip finger movably mounted on saidstud between its flange and the bearing plate, a spring coiled about thestud above its flange to hold the finger against the stop of the slidewith resilient resistance, a spring adjuster having a dished centerportion fitting the top of the stud and engaging said spring, means tolock said adjuster in any given position in adjusting the tension ofsaid spring, and means to hold the adjuster in adjusted position andsecure it to the top of said stud.

5. A stud for mounting the side slip finger of a feeler-device, saidstud formed with a bearing for said finger, a bearing for a spring, aflange between the two bearings, and a projection extending from the topof the spring-bearing portion of the stud parallel with the axis of saidstud.

6. In a spring adjusting device for a side slip feeler, the combinationof a stud having an axial threaded hole, a spring mounted on said stud,a substantially disk-shaped adjuster having a hole to receive one end ofthe spring, a circularly disposed series of index holes and a centralhole, an index pin mounted in the end of the stud to en gage one of theindex holes in the adjuster, and a screw passing through the center holeof the adjuster and engaging the threaded hole in the stud to hold theadjuster to its index pin and to the top of the stud.

7. A spring adjuster for a side slip feeler-device, said adjuster havinga dished body portion with a flat rim projecting radially therefrom in aplane substantially parallel with the plane of the bottom of said dishedportion, the bottom of said dished portion being perforated with acentral hole and circumjacent index holes, the axes of all said holesbeing of substantially parallel direction and the rim provided withmeans to secure one end of the spring to be adjusted.

8. A spring retainer for a side slip feeler-device, said retainer beingformed with a dished body portion and a radially projecting flangelocated in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the bottomof the dished portion and having provisions for securing one end of thespring to be retained, the bottom of the dished portion being perforatedwith holes for securing the retainer.

EDWIN C. SMITH.

